The West Virginia State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers is responsible for protecting the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of West Virginia by establishing the policies and procedures for administering the provisions of the WV State Registration Law for Professional Engineers, Chapter 30-13, as well as Legislative Rule 7-1 and Procedural Rule 7-2.

The Board is charged with safeguarding the life, health, property, and public welfare by regulating the practices of professional engineering. The Board provides this public service by qualifying and licensing individuals, establishing regulations, enforcing laws and regulations, and providing information so that consumers can make informed decisions. The work performed by engineers is highly technical, requiring specialized knowledge and higher, examination, and experience.

Below you will find a history of Engineering Licensure in the US, NCEES and the WV PE Board:

1907

Wyoming passes the first engineering registration law.

1920

At a meeting in Chicago, the Council of State Boards of Engineering Examiners (CSBEE) is founded by 7 of the 10 state boards with engineering/surveying licensing laws.

1921

The West Virginia State Board of Registration for Engineers was formed at the direction of the WV Legislative Act that became effective on July 27, 1921. Under Section 3, of the Act, Honorable Ephriam F. Morgan, Governor appointed the five members of the first board with terms of office of one, two and three years. Upon invitation, and after being legally qualified, the members of the newly formed board met for the first time in the Coyle and Richardson Building in Charleston, WV on November 21, 1921 at 10am.

1922

The first Annual Report of the WV State Board of Registration for Engineers is presented to the Governor for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1922.

1931

The word “national” is added to the organization’s name (NCSBEE).

1932

NCSBEE approves the Model Law for Registration of Engineers and Land Surveyors.

1933

NCSBEE revises the Constitution and Bylaws to create a board of directors, zones, and the position of executive secretary.

1950

All states plus Alaska, Hawaii, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico now have engineering registration laws.

1953

The four geographic zones hold their first interim meetings, where member boards discuss issues of common interest.

1965

First NCSBEE Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination is administered.

The WV PE Board moves from the traditional state-specific FE exam and administers the first national Fundamentals of Engineering Exam in West Virginia.

1966

First NCSBEE Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) examination is administered.

1967

The organization’s name is changed to the National Council of Engineering Examiners (NCEE).

1968

The WV PE Board moves from the traditional state-specific PE exam and administers the first national Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam in West Virginia.

1979

The NCEE Records program is created to replace the National Engineering Certificate.

1984

All member licensing boards now use uniform national engineering examinations.

1989

The organization’s name is changed to National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).

1992

The WV PE Board successfully presents and has enacted monumental Statute and Rule Revisions requiring more stringent educational degree requirements , company authorizations as well as annual continuing education requirements.

1993

The WV PE Board administers the first national Structural I Exam (Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam) in West Virginia.

1996

The afternoon portion of the FE examination is offered in six discipline-specific modules (Chemical, Civil, Industrial, Electrical, Mechanical, and General) in order to test upper-division knowledge.

2000

The NCEES Engineering and Land Surveying Examination Services (ELSES) is established to provide exam administration services to NCEES member boards. Initially chartered as an NCEES affiliate, ELSES was dissolved in 2009 but continued to provide the same services as the NCEES Exam Administration Services department.

The WV PE Board conducts its first strategic planning meeting in November 2000.

2002

With the April exam, the PE Civil, PE Electrical and Computer, and PE Mechanical exams are all administered in the breadth/depth objectively scored (multiple-choice) format. With the October administration, all PE exams (except Structural II) are given in the all-objectively scored format.

The WV PE Board hires their first Executive Director, who is a Professional Engineer.

The WV PE Board unveils their inaugural website.

2003

The Engineering Speakers Kit is developed to promote the engineering profession, emphasizing the benefits of pursuing licensure.

The WV PE Board begins to utilize the WV State Treasurer’s Office to process renewal fees via their lockbox program.

The WV PE Board moves their long-standing headquarters from the historic Union Building to the Kanawha Valley Bank Building at 300 Capitol Street, Suite 910, Charleston, WV.

The WV PE Board hires their first Board Investigator, who is a Professional Engineer.

2004

The WV PE Board unveils their on-line renewal system developed and administered in conjunction with WV State Treasurer’s Office.

The WV PE Board successfully updates their Legislative Rules to comport with current practice.

2006

NCEES begins providing credentials evaluations services for licensure candidates earning degrees from programs outside the United States and from domestic, non-ABET accredited programs.

The WV PE Board moves from accepting foreign degree evaluations from the ECEI Evaluations to the NCEES Credentials Evaluation program.

2007

NCEES celebrates the 100th anniversary of engineering licensure in the United States.

NCEES is granted status as ANSI standards development organization.

2008

NCEES exams are first offered in South Korea.

The WV PE Board discontinues the use of the lockbox program and moves to full on-line license renewal via the Board’s website.

2009

NCEES exams are first offered in Egypt.

NCEES launches the Engineering Award for Connecting Professional Practice and Education.

2010

NCEES exams are first offered in Saudi Arabia.

The Council votes to transition the FE and FS exams to a computer-based format.>

Leonard J. Timms, Jr., WV PE Board member, becomes the first National NCEES President from the state of West Virginia.

2011

NCEES launches new web-based Engineering and Surveying Speakers Kits.

2012

NCEES exams are first offered in the Emirate of Sharjah and in Turkey.

The Council votes to transition the PE and PS exams to a computer-based format at the earliest feasible date but no earlier than 2015.

The WV PE Board assigns their 20,000th PE registration number to a comity applicant in December 2012.

The NCEES and the WV Board (along with all jurisdictions) prepare for the launch of the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam via Computer-Based Testing (CBT) on January 2, 2014.

Beginning November 4, 2013, all candidates who wish to take the FE Exam register online directly with NCEES.2014

The first NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering Exam via Computer-Based Testing (CBT) administered on January 2, 2014.

2015

During the 82nd WV Legislative Session, the WV PE Board received authorization for biennial renewals on the calendar year vs. the traditional annual renewals on the fiscal year. During 2015, the Board immediately transitioned to two-year renewals of PE licenses, as well as company COAs.

2016

The WV PE Board completes the full biennial renewal transition for all firm COAs and all individual PE licenses. Our WV PEs successfully complete the first 2-year renewal cycle requiring 30 professional development hours of continuing education to be reported. From this point forward, firm COAs will renew at the end of odd-numbered calendar years and individual PE licenses will renew at the end of even-numbered calendar years.

2017

The last pencil-and-paper administration of the Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Chemical exam was in April 2017. The computer-based PE Chemical exam registration opened late June 2017.

2018

The first NCEES Principles and Practice Exam (PE) Chemical exam was administered via Computer-Based Testing (CBT) in January 2018. The new computer-based PE Chemical exam allows for year-round testing at approved locations. The new format includes a supplied digital PE Chemical Reference Handbook and also introduces a new testing component: alternative item types (AITs). AITs are questions other than traditional multiple-choice questions. Visit the NCEES website to learn more about AITs.